Chinese Dough Figurines

Object Details

Views

1,687

Video Title

Chinese Dough Figurines

Description

Written records on Chinese dough figurines date to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), and some two thousand years later this art form is still popular. Skilled artists can shape intricate sculptures in minutes using their hands, scissors, small knives, and pointed sticks. Using dough made from flour or glutinous rice, they create animals, geometric patterns, and human figures drawn from history, folktales, novels, and operas. Artisans begin by blending different types of dough to create vibrant colors. They then pinch, twist, cut, carve, and mold the dough to create different shapes and to add decorative patterns. In this video from the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival program “China: Tradition and the Art of Living,” artist Zhao Baolin (张宝琳) from Beijing explains his introduction to making dough figurines and their significance in the cultural heritage of China today. Learn more about dough figurines: https://s.si.edu/34zjMJG Learn more about “China: Tradition and the Art of Living”: https://s.si.edu/2wDUygA Editing: Jackson Harvey Camera: Nicholas Mangialardi, Shiyu Wang [Catalog No. CFV11259; © 2019 Smithsonian Institution]

Video Duration

4 min 29 sec

YouTube Keywords

culture music performance tradition folk language festival smithsonian "washington dc"

Data Source

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

YouTube Channel

smithsonianfolklife

Uploaded

2020-04-14T23:07:00.000Z

Creator

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Type

YouTube Videos

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smithsonianfolklife

YouTube Category

People & Blogs

Topic

Cultural property

Record ID

yt_yZKeFQXQEdc

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